X. Advising

Longitudinal evaluation of each student is required throughout the course of the program, which includes course grades with narrative and/or oral feedback on a variety of exercises or projects and may also include a mid-term examination. The student’s mentored research project is evaluated at least three times during a student’s tenure, and these reviews are written and submitted to the director. Students are expected to achieve satisfactory grades in all courses and the mentored research project.

IX. Length of Time to Degree

MMSCI students are expected to complete the MMSc degree program in two-to-three academic years. Students may petition the program director in writing for an extension of time. (See Section 2.06 for definitions of full- and part-time and Section 2.07 for the policy on length of time to degree

X. Mentored Research

All students undertaking the MMSCI degree are required to complete a thesis, as a culmination of the mentored research experience. The purpose of this requirement is two-fold, to highlight the importance of publishing quality research in peer-reviewed academic journals; and to promote excellence in the practice of scientific communication. The thesis requirement must be completed in a Harvard-affiliated research group under the direct supervision of the thesis committee that consists of the student, the primary mentor, one external content advisor and an MMSCI Program Representative.

The research is generally conducted at an HMS-affiliated hospital, where the student’s HMS faculty mentor maintains principal responsibility for the conduct of all aspects of the research. With occasional exception, it is desirable that all mentors are at the assistant professor or higher rank. Prospective mentors are reviewed and approved by the program to ensure an appropriate research and training environment. Based on the individual student’s needs and objectives, and with the approval of the MMSCI Program, part of the student's research may be conducted in collaboration with faculty from other entities within or outside Harvard University; however, the HMS faculty mentor remains fully responsible for oversight of the student’s research project.

The traditional thesis requirement for MMSCI degree has taken the form of two first-author manuscripts; one accepted and one submitted to a peer reviewed journal; or a body of work of equivalent magnitude. The subject matter of the manuscripts should be thematically linked, with the aim of helping the students to develop an area of expertise. However, with expanding enrollment, MMSCI now accepts students undertaking a wider variety of research studies. In particular, translational investigation spans a spectrum of research, from studies that are primarily bench-based and require generation of primary data, to those that use novel analyses of previously collected data to generate new findings. The time from study conception to completion may vary widely across these fields. Furthermore, students who employ advanced techniques to complete their research may take longer to produce a final paper. As a result, the body of work a student is ready to present at the end of a two-year Master’s program may vary depending on research type.

Given the broad range of hypothesis-driven research that is acceptable for a thesis for the MMSCI degree, the following factors will be considered when adjudicating if a body of work meets the requirements to award the degree:

A. The type of research being carried out (e.g. bench vs. epidemiological)

B. If primary data is being generated vs. analysis of previously collected data

C. The typical timeframe for completion of a research study within the specific field

D. The level of specialist training required to complete the studies (e.g., basic statistical analysis vs. advanced bioinformatics vs. complex disease models)